Vitamin A Absorption From Cassava in Women

USDA, Western Human Nutrition Research Center10 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to determine the vitamin A equivalents in high-carotenoid varieties of cassava.

We plan to conduct a single site intervention phase II intervention study in healthy adult women. Women will serve as their own controls, and will be fed three treatments in random order: a single meal of low-carotenoid cassava porridge with fat, a similar meal of bio-fortified cassava (that is high in vitamin A-forming carotenoids) with fat, and a similar meal of bio-fortified cassava without fat. Carotenoids and vitamin A will be measured in the triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein (TRL) fraction of plasma by standard methods involving ultracentrifugation (to concentrate the TRL fraction) followed by reversed-phase HPLC using electrochemical detection. We plan to collect sufficient data to identify the times of the first appearance and peak concentrations in retinol, retinyl esters, alpha-carotene (AC), beta-carotene (BC), beta-carotene isomers (BCI), and cryptoxanthin (CX) in TRL: when a single meal containing moderately high amounts of carotenoids from bio-fortified cassava is fed to healthy adult women. We will use this data to determine the vitamin A equivalency of bio-fortified cassava in adult women, and the effect of fat on vitamin A equivalency of bio-fortified cassava.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Vitamin A Deficiency

Interventions

Beta-Carotene bio-fortified cassava porridge without oilOTHER

300 g of porridge (11 ounces) containing 100 g drained mashed cassava and approximately 1 mg beta-carotene.

Beta-Carotene bio-fortified cassava porridge with oilOTHER

300g porridge (11 ounces) containing 100 g drained mashed cassava, 15 g peanut oil, and approximately 1 mg beta-carotene.

White cassava porridge with retinyl palmitate reference doseOTHER

300 g porridge containing 15 mL peanut oil, 100 g drained mashed cassava, and a tracer of approximately .3 mg pure food-grade retinyl palmitate.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 45 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * non-smoking * BMI between 18-30 * total cholesterol concentrations between 90 and 225 mg/dL * blood pressure under 140/90 mm Hg * hemoglobin above 11.5 g/dL * blood chemistries within the normal range Exclusion Criteria: * must not be pregnant or trying to get pregnant * must not be taking fat, triacylglycerol, or cholesterol lowering medications) such as orlistat, gemfibrozil, niacin, lovastatin, simvastatin, colestipol, and ezetimibe) * must not taking medicines containing high doses of retinoids such as Accutane or high vitamin A or carotenoid supplements * must not have blood chemistry or health history results consistent with acute cancer or heart disease * no obvious psychological or sociological problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, or severe and acute mental illness that would influence their ability to sign an informed consent agreement or to participate in study duties and activities * must not be allergic to cassava, peanuts, or peanut oil

Locations (1)

Western Human Nutrition Center, University of California Davis

Davis, California, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Vitamin A equivalency from varieties of cassava with and without oil

Vitamin A and other carotenoids will be measured in triacylglycerol rich lipoprotein fractions at 0, 60, 150, 240, 330, 420, 510, 600, and 1440 minutes after consumption of cassava containing meal.

Time frame: 0, 60, 150, 240, 330, 420, 510, 600, 1440 min

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.